The present invention comprises a new Petunia, botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name ‘PEHY0001’.
‘PEHY0001’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar has small bold red-purple flowers, good floriferousness, medium green foliage, initially semi-compact and then an outwardly spreading plant habit, and is early to flower.
‘PEHY0001’ originated from a hybridization made in August 2007 in a controlled breeding environment in Gilroy, Calif. The female parent was the proprietary, unpatented plant designated ‘1789-2’, with larger amethyst colored flowers with more expressed veining and more upright plant habit.
The male parent of ‘PEHY0001’ is a commercially available proprietary variety identified as ‘Pic Whit’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,182, with white flowers, somewhat more trailing plant habit and is more vigorous. The resultant seed was sown in December 2007.
‘PEHY0001’ was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in the March 2008 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif.
The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘PEHY0001’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection in March 2008 in a controlled environment in Gilroy, Calif.